Safety neutral stop for ford clutch-pedals



s. e. PORTER. SAFETY NEUTRAL STOP FOR FORD CLUTCH PEDALS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7.1919- Patented I'm. 27, 1921.

- III/a IIIIIIII/I INVENTOR. v

' I ATTORNEYS GEORGE G. PORTER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

SAFETY NEUTRAL STOP FOR FORD CLUTCH-PEDALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2'7, 1921.

Application filed October 7,1919. Serial No. 828,984.

7 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnoaen G. Ponrna, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Safety Neutral Stop for Ford Clutch-Pedals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object a stopping means i for the combined clutch and change speed edals of automobiles as the left pedal of 0rd cars, which moves forwardly from neutral position into low speed and is moved rearwardly by its spring into high speed; which means is particularly simple and compact in construction, readily applicable to the cars without an change in the mechanism thereof and big 1y efficient and durable in use.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this stop ping means the clutch or left hand pedal of a Ford car and also the floor of the car being also shown in dotted lines.

F Fig. 2 is a plan view of parts seen in Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified form of clutch pedal.

FFig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5,

It is well known that automobiles having a combined clutch and change s eed lever such as the left hand pedal of 0rd cars are not safe and dependable when a quick stop is imperative for the reason that too much thought and dexterity are required on the part of the driver. ven experienced drivers frequently become confused and do the wrong thing in a situation requiring quick thinking. This is due to the fact that it is unnatural and very diflicult to move the left hand or clutch pedal forward out of high gear to its middle or neutral position with one foot, and hold it there without anything to support it, while vigorously apply ing the brake with the other foot.

The natural t ndency especially in an emergency is to bring both feet down together as far as they will go. If this is done the left foot throws the clutch pedal beyond neutral position into its forward position n which the powerful low gear is brought into action while the right foot is applying the brakes.

These two contrary actions result in stallng the engine if the brake is in good wor mg order and is applied with suflicient force, or if the brake is not in good order the car keeps on going. In either event the car is not stopped when it should be. This is often the cause of serious accidents. In fact a great proportion of automobile accidents that happen to persons driving Ford cars is a direct result of moving the clutch pedal forwardly beyond its neutral position and throwing in the powerful low gear when the driver is attempting to stop the car.

This invention comprises means for normally stopping the clutch. pedal in neutral position and operable out of its normal position in order to permit the pedal to be moved forwardly beyond neutral position. The illustrated form of my invention comprises a stop member fixed from movement with the pedal, a stop arm carried by the pedal and normally coacting with said stop, and an operating member also carried by the pedal and coacting with the stop arm to move the same out of operative position.

1 designates the clutch pedal such as the left hand pedal of the Ford car, this pedal being pivoted as at 2 below the floor 3 of the car and having a curved foot piece a at its upper end.

is the fixed stop member which is attachable to the floor 3 of. the car in front of the pedal, the stop 5 being here shown as a tongue bent upwardly from the base plate 6 which is attachable to the floor of the car in any suitable manner as by screws 7 extending through slots 8 in the base 6.

10 is the stop arm which extends forwardly from the pedal 1 and normally engages the stop 5, this arm being pivoted at 11 at its rear end and having an upwardly extending tooth 12. 13 is the operating member also carried by the pedal and pivoted at 14 and having a nose 15 at its lower end coacting with the tooth 12 and having an arm extending upwardly across the upper front edge of the foot piece .1 and inconveniences due above the same and having a forward and rearward adjustable foot engaging piece 16 a; its upper end.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 8 the stop 10 and trip 13 are pivoted to a support which is attachable to the cl itch pedal 1 beneath the foot piece 4, this support consisting of opposing clamping members 13 arranged astride the shank of the clutch penal 1 and clamped thereon by screw bolts 18. 19 and nuts 20 21 turning thereon.

The stop arm 10 is mounted on a spacer 22' on the screuv 19 between the inembeis 17. The operating or trip lever 13 is mounted on a similar spacer between upward extensions of the members 17. The fore and at movement of the trip lever 13 is limited by a stop pin 24- exteuding through the upper ends of the extension bctwce; opposing surfaces 25, and 26 the ends of a recess or slot in the member illllOt gh which recess the pin 24 extends.

As seen in Figs. land 5 t e nodal may he formed with integ al spaced apart walls 27 between which the stop lever and trip lever are mountable.

In operation, when stopping a car the right and left foot pedals are both pushed forward as far as th y will go. the stop arm 10 engaging the abutment or stop shoulder 5 and preventing the left hand pedal from being pusl ed forwardly beyond neutral position. hen starting, the clutch or left pedal is moved forward until the stop arm 10 engages the lug 5 and is held there while the emergency brake is released. The pedal is thenreleased slightly to release the stop arm 10 from the abutment amid the left foot rocked upward and forward on the pedal so that the toe moves tile trip lever 13 forwardly and lifts the stop arm 10 free of the abutment or shoulder The clutch pedal is then moved forwardly as far as it will go throwing in the 10 v gen r. lVhcn reversing the left pedal is held with the stop arm against the stop or abutment 5 while the emergency brake is being released and the reverse pedal operated.

The stop device is particularly :ulvantageous in that it is economical of manufacture, readily applied to the car and furtluu' prevents the operation of the car except a. intended and hence prevents accidents and to the stalling of the en gine, and injury and undue wear to the transmission gearing, brake bands, etc; and makes the operation of the car easy and safe for inexperienced operators and poisons a. women with short legs and small :l'cct.

ll hat I claim is: 1. In a. motor vehicle. the couibiualimi oil a clutch and change speed pedal movable upwar. v and rcaru'zardly from neutral poport and arranged near the foot piccr of the pedal and courting with said 2 in: to trip thi same. and a lined stop normally in the path of the stop :u'iu.tl1c.-sto r arm being movable by the movement of such cvcr out f th stop. substantially as and for the purpose dcscribml.

2. in a n T ccd pedal. 11

a clutcn a d ch .ugio sp iovablc .5 l} 'lv from neutral po ic icz ilious and means nolu .a one; King tiu pedal wot-n1 lllfillllllli) .-.-w::r llv E'roui nrutral pus l on. incluilluga sopuort mounted on a per al. a stop lUYQIf pivof'ozl to llH" support. and an operating; lever carried by the suppoft am i .1 \x tl the ferric." lcvz-r and having a foot on; oy iug oicc-r mil udiuo' across one ni re of the fool pie e for the pedal in pofi' on to be engaged b the (per-- ators foot on the foot piece of the non pedal. substantially as and for specified.

be purpose 1 a. motor vehicle. the wuubiuuliou of a mute] and change speed pedal movable .i'orwardl and rcarwaroly from neutral po- 'on int) dii'l ercnt opm'ativc prishious. and

is fo normally locbimg; the nodal from movement forward from neutr l positwu said iii-cans romprisi a support dcl'achablv mounted on the pedal. l'-:u".r:::'ll extend-- ing *UIll. pivot d to the support. an upwardly sling operating lever pi. oz'rz lo the su e po t 21171 cntcud' :tla'zvo al and reacting \fl'nb its lower cud a'iu t t io tlvc sztzoc. aul a lix'wl lowrfcd in of the medal and no"- st ll) ll m the path of ill! from cod oi' :ll(. 2 s2 istiznl'mll v as nu l for tho pur- Eli lllO

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